Allowing Children To Get Dirty - 3 Year Old and 4 Year Old classes

Often parents seem to worry their children might get their clothes dirty, or that they may become ill because of the dirt. As a result, outdoor play is frequently limited.

In fact, allowing children to get physical with the “dirty” outside world is good for them.

The immune system is designed to build up a defence against bacteria and viruses.... but it needs to be conditioned. In order to recognize harmful germs, it needs to come into contact with germs. This is when antibodies are created. When the time comes, the child who has been exposed to harmful germs will be less susceptible to becoming ill.

Your child also needs to be active, run around and feel happy playing outside. Worrying about stains will make the child feel too wary about activities that make him happy. You can't replace that happiness with clean clothes, or with indoor inactive activities.

As well, children need to explore and discover the world. Exploration fuels the imagination and creates lifelong memories. Memories that the child will tap into the rest of his life. Not to mention the creativity, social and physical skills that are nurtured through exploration.

So, let your child get out and get dirty! :)

A puddle in the sandbox drew loads of creative play, socializing and language,

problem solving and FUN!!

Sincerely,

Barbi

Comments

4 Year Old M/W/F Class – I Hear…I See…I Wonder…

We began one of our circle discussions with a question for the children, “What would you like to learn, wonder or hear about?” Here is what they said: “Skateboarding, Soccer, Perches” (Connor) “Bikes” (Taylor) “Going outside to see if I left my toy” (Jun) “The Sun” (Jack) “Rollerskating and Swimming” (Daniella)"Skating” (Noel) “Ball” (Sofie) “Scooter and Tricycle” (Masaki) “Shoes” (Ashlan) “When you put something under a pillow you can find it” (Tia) “Soccer” (Kyle) From my list I noticed quite a few of the children were interested in wheels, so at our next circle discussion we looked closely at a scooter and a pair of roller skates – as well as the wheels on a long board. The conversation brought up more questions and answers, which the children confidently discussed amongst themselves. One of the questions was “What makes this a scooter?” The conversation followed with “The scooter has a handle and a brake” and “I know how to ride a long board.” ...

Volunteering at Richmond Food Bank

Today was our last day volunteering at the Richmond Food Bank. I am so grateful we had this opportunity– it has been an extraordinary experience for all of us. I, myself, have been very lucky to work in a community where I have seen dedicated volunteers working countless hours for people and projects they believe in. In my own community centre, the staff devote extra hours for many events, all to help strengthen our community. From these experiences grew a desire within me to try to share this with our children. How can we make them generous with their time and energy for the good of others? How can we teach them to be giving people– people that think of others? Are they too young for these concepts? In my need to answer these questions, I sought to find a volunteer opportunity for them. I thought about many different ideas but the food bank always came out ahead. I was lucky enough to come across an open-minded and risk-taking individual– let's face it, preschoolers gett...

A Love for Cabbage

Another day of working with cabbage-our prized cabbage that I babied throughout the summer. The cabbage that I saved from the demise of cabbage worms, watered, and surrounded with copper to scare away slugs. So, yes, babied. After all that care and love I was hoping the children would enjoy working with this gorgeous vegetable and like the taste of it. The coleslaw was a hit last week but would cooked cabbage get the same positive response? We assembled our ingredients for cabbage rolls and showed all the children. They smelled all the spices that were in the recipe and many of them loved the smell of the fresh garlic! They took great pride in recognizing onion, salt, pepper, tomato sauce and ground beef. I wanted to introduce them to another herb so we passed around marjoram, which many agreed smelled sweet. We pre-cooked the meat just so the children could work with the food without any cause for concern. The smell of the onions and meat simmering sparked the interest of many ...

West Richmond Preschool

Search This Blog